Report on Livingston CARES March 2009 Work Trip to Biloxi

Prepared by: Elise Arneson, Marissa Evarts, and Amanda Flannery

Fifty-five strangers met on a cold Saturday morning in March, only to return one week later as friends who shared an experience they would never forget. After twenty-two (short) hours on the bus, we arrived early Sunday morning at Camp Victor in Ocean Springs. Molly gave us a tour of the camp and we had the next several hours free. Some volunteers chose to go to a local Baptist church and were immersed in true Southern culture. There, volunteers were greeted and thanked for the hope they brought to Gulfport. After enjoying a few leisurely hours on the beach, we took a tour of the coast along Interstate 90 to see the destruction. Many new volunteers were shocked to see that damage still existed there and a half years later, while returning volunteers grew frustrated with the lack of progress in the area. We visited the Hurricane Katrina Memorial and saw the wall that represented the shallowest level of water that the storm left in its wake. Students took pictures of themselves standing next to the twelve foot wall as way to try and understand the devastation that occurred in the community on August 29, 2005. We returned to Camp Victor for an orientation, followed by some icebreakers and “get to know you” games.

At 6:00 Monday morning, while most students were groggy, but excited, one volunteer jubilantly woke everyone up and got us excited for the day. We went to the East Biloxi Coordination Relief and Recovery Center to get our assignments for the week. There, Brian Rivers not only introduced to our projects, but to the southern “twang” we could not stop using for the rest of week and beyond.

Steven’s, Jarrod’s, and Kaeyln’s team of twenty volunteers arrived on the doorstep of a big, yellow house on Reynoir Street on Monday morning not knowing what to expect. Volunteers were told they would be continuing a dry walling job in Miss Karen’s house. Miss Karen, a Gulfport resident, has been unable to live in her home since before the storm. Jimmy, the site supervisor, and Molly and Jon, AmeriCorps volunteers, informed the volunteers that if the remaining work left on her house was not completed by mid-April, she would become homeless. At the time, Miss Karen was currently living in a Mississippi cottage in her backyard. The three teams were very eager to work on her home, especially with the knowledge that she may become homeless if the house was not completed in time. Volunteers hung drywall in the house and also did joint compounding (mudding). After the walls were hung, they were given texture and primed. Volunteers painted both the interior and the exterior of the house. Because of their hard work, it put the site a week ahead of schedule. During lunchtime on Wednesday, Miss Karen spoke to the group about her experiences surrounding Hurricane Katrina and thanked the volunteers with pizza and kind words. When Friday afternoon came, the volunteers were very happy and satisfied with the amount of work we were able to accomplish, though sad to leave the house we had worked so hard on as well as our new friends, Jimmy, Jon, and Molly.

For the first two days, part of Alyssa’s team worked on Murray Street, finishing a house that was nearly complete. This involved installing window blinds and two safety rails in the bathroom so the homeowner would be able to steady herself. Finishing touches also included: painting the laundry room, and painting the baseboard trim. On Wednesday, Alyssa’s team joined Mark’s team on Lameuse Street. At this project, volunteers primed the basement, cleaned and caulked the siding, and did quite a bit of painting. They also kept busy with hanging some drywall, painting the outside railing, and removing old carpet. Both teams were guided by Jeff and Steve, and enjoyed playing with Isabella, Jeff’s Pomeranian Chihuahua.

Lwam’s and Leah’s group worked at a demolition site. After 5 days, 40 hours, with 2 sledgehammers, 1 axe, 7 crow bars, 9 hammers, 2 shovels, 1 rake, and 16 dedicated and hard-working volunteers, all that was left of the house was a foundation, 3 brimful dumpsters, and plentiful piles of wood. These two groups worked incredibly hard from the onset and although the work was strenuous and certainly more physically demanding than sitting in the library, all volunteers gave more than 100% each day. We also met some fantastic people including Russ, our homeowner, who owned that house and grew up in the house located in front. While he was sad to see the house taken down, he was relieved and thankful that we were there to help him and he thanked us every day with different treats at lunch! Team members were honored and excited to hear his stories and he loved to talk to us. This work site was a definite success and we are proud to say that we left with new friends, new experiences, and a new appreciation for sledgehammers and crow bars.

After a hard first day of work, participants had a chance to visit the Beau Rivage and Hard Rock Casinos. Those able to gamble tried their luck with little success, while others enjoyed Ben and Jerry’s on the patio at the Beau Rivage with their money lying comfortably in their pockets. By Tuesday, the entire group had become comfortable with each other. Later that night, despite our already sore muscles, many Livingston CARES volunteers chose to go to the beach for a traditional game of Ultimate Frisbee.

Wednesday night we rushed back to Camp Victor to clean up, only to find out we were only allowed three minutes to shower. In spite of these restrictions, several girls still remained in line to shower for about 2 hours; so needless to say, we were a bit late to going to dinner. We continued our Livingston CARES tradition of going to The Shed for Southern BBQ. Russ, the homeowner from the demolition site, greeted us and enjoyed a good meal and good conversation.

After work Thursday, we attended a house dedication on Lameuse Street that Livingston CARES volunteers worked on in January. It was a privilege to attend and witness this special occasion of a family returning to their home. The family thanked volunteers for all of their help and graciously invited all 55 of us into their new home. Later on, because Brian grew so close to the volunteers all week, he invited us to join him and Molly and Jon, AmeriCorps volunteers, at a bonfire on the beach, using wood from the demolition site.

Mark’s and Alyssa’s team wrapped up a specific project on Friday afternoon and because it was not practical to begin a new project, they enjoyed fishing and relaxing on the beach. Other teams worked to finish their projects in effort to leave Mississippi in the best shape we possibly could. Because of our efforts, we were able to push projects between one and two weeks ahead of schedule. Fifty-five friends enjoyed each other’s company on the twenty-two hour bus ride home, and may have even grown fond of the fast food we lived on while traveling. As trip leaders who have participated on other Livingston CARES trips, it was an honor to lead a very successful and smooth-running trip.

SUNY Geneseo Students:
Valerie Abrigo Amanda Flannery Christina Piccirillo

Lea Bellomo Emma Fritz Andrea Pratt
Larry Bellomo Rachel Greenberg Robyn Reynolds
Steven Bennett Daniel Hart Liz Riley
William Blevins Aki Imai Jen Rose
Heather Bristol Tara Imparato Steven Sanfilippo
Melissa Bryant Michelle Iocolano Melissa Santariello
Shannon Butera Katie Klehr Mark Simeone
Laura Caley Lisa Knab Tom Sochia
Caitlin Caputo Cara Kowalski Lwam Tecleab
Erin Caragol Jarrod LaFountain Jeanna Tigley
Amy Cavanaugh Claire Littlefield Kristin Ververs
Cara Clayback Kaelyn Madden Alyssa Wurzburg
Bryan Daniels Maddy Maler Courtney Zon

Joe Diaz Paul McAllister
Marissa Evarts Charlie McDermott Geneseo Professional Staff:
Colleen Farrell Tony Merrill Elise Arneson

Kristen Felicione Theresa Montenarello Isaiah Tolbert
Andrew Fisher Steven Montera Peggy Wirth